Tomb Raider: Apocalypse
by Auryon42
Summary: Lara and Jonah's vacation is interrupted when they unexpectedly cross paths with Trinity.
1. Chapter One - A Closer Look

**Chapter One**

 **A Closer Look**

"Don't you ever do anything just for fun?"

"Climbing the Zagros Mountains _was_ supposed to be just for fun. I swear I didn't know they were here."

"Well are you sure it's them?"

I hand him the binoculars. "See for yourself."

Jonah takes them and peers through at the lights flickering in the distance on the mountain side. I swing my pack around my shoulder, take off a mitten, and begin digging in my bag. At last, I find what I'm looking for just as Jonah decides he's done with the binoculars. He holds them out to me, a frown partially concealed behind his scarf. I trade him the pistols I pulled from the pack and put the binoculars away.

"These are just a precaution, right? We're heading back down, yes?"

I sling the pack over my back again, cock the pistols, and then shove them into my belt. "You should know by now that I have to find out what they're up to. And then stop them." His frown deepens. "I'm not asking you to come. I couldn't, not after everything I've already put you through."

"And you should know by now that I won't let you face them alone. I don't like it, not one bit, but I'm coming with you."

I slip my mitten back on and pat him on the shoulder. "Thanks."

Both of us wrap our scarfs tighter around our faces and begin hiking again. We've got maybe an hour of fading light left to get to the ridge above us and make camp.

* * *

I'm up before Jonah the next morning. After getting dressed, I fish out the binoculars again and sit outside the tent. The air is crisp this morning. The snow that was falling last night has quit, making it easier to pick out more details.

It's Trinity, there's no doubt about it. Something large and metal is sticking up above their tents, some kind of machinery. There's lots of movement among the tents as well. I won't know how many of them there are until we get closer though. Part of me idly wonders if Ana is there.

I scan the terrain nearby. Their camp appears to be on the edge of a ravine that stretches far in either direction. That'll be our way in. If the weather holds, we might make it before nightfall. I duck back into the tent and wake Jonah up.

"Come on sleepy, time to get going."

* * *

We weren't lucky. The wind picked up as we entered the ravine, and made the going tough. There also wasn't a good place to set up camp, so that night was bitter cold. Neither of us slept much.

Now this morning, the wind is still blowing strong and carrying with it the sounds of gunfire.

"What are they shooting at?" Jonah asks as we finish packing the tent.

"Hopefully each other," I joke.

He throws me a smirk. "I doubt that."

We're silent as we hike further, the gunfire getting louder and now mingled with explosions. The ground shakes with a few of them, sending waves of snow sliding down into the ravine.

Then suddenly there's a lull of silence. I slowly stop, Jonah catching on a moment later. He looks at me, but doesn't speak. I pull my hood back and listen. Faintly, I hear the whirr of an engine.

 _BOOM_

The edge of the ravine right above us explodes. I throw myself into the snow as rock and ice rain down upon us.

 _BADABOOM_

Something large lands nearby, bursting apart and sending chunks of metal hurtling through the air. The explosions stop, but there's a sizzling and cracking sound. I lay face down in the snow for a moment longer before sticking my head up.

The thing turns out to be an old military truck. The sizzling and cracking is the truck on fire.

"Jonah!" I call, not caring if anyone above can hear me.

"I'm here!" he yells behind me. I turn and see him kick a metal panel away. His hood is half torn off and there's blood down the side of his head. He points past me, at the truck. "There's someone in there!"

I spin back. He's right, there's someone slumped against the steering wheel. The sizzling is now accompanied by a high-pitched whine. The truck is about to blow. I clamber through the snow and debris as fast as I can. I reach the truck and struggle to open the door. The frame is twisted, the hinges bent. It won't budge. The window is mostly shattered, so I jab it with my elbow and knock out the rest of the glass. I grab the person's arm, prepared for another struggle. But my hand closes around an arm much smaller than I expected. I pull them out of the truck easily. The person is tiny, just a child. I scoop them up in my arms and book it away from the truck. I make it about 20 feet when the whine suddenly ramps up in pitch. I drop forward into the snow, shielding the child, as the gas tank explodes.

Debris flies overhead and the heat washes over me, but for the most part the snow seems to protect us. I pick myself up slowly, assessing the damage. Jonah's already clambering over to me. My coat and hood are a little singed and my front is covered in blood. I pat myself warily, but I seem to be okay. Then I look at the child in the snow and realize the blood is not mine.

Jonah reaches me, looking me up and down with panic in his face.

"I'm fine," I say, gesturing to his head. "What about you?"

He reaches up and is surprised to find blood. "I- I think I'm okay too."

I open my mouth to say something else, but the sound of helicopter blades stops me. Quickly, I scoop up the child again. Without a word, Jonah takes the child from me and together we run towards the edge of the ravine, hiding under an overhang of ice.

The helicopter appears above the ravine. Two lines are tossed from it, landing near the truck. There is literally nowhere to hide. I pull Jonah down into the snow. We burrow as far as we can before two men slide down the lines and land in the ravine with us.

Silently I pull the pistols from my belt.

The men land facing away from us, pointing assault rifles at the truck. One wanders into the smoldering wreckage, nudging debris with the barrel of his gun. The second one stays where he is, one hand up to his head.

"Well?" the second one calls.

The first turns, dropping his gun to his side. "There ain't no way anything survived that."

"Boss wants to be sure."

"I'm pretty damn sure," the first one snarls. He looks around, making a show of it. His gaze slides right over us and I feel Jonah tense beside me. "You see that little monster anywhere?"

"I can't see anything in the truck," the second yells back.

The first one pops his gun back up, pointing at the other man. "Then check it yourself, you lazy ass."

There's a tense moment where the men point their guns at each other. But the second one decides it isn't worth it, lets his gun slack, and talks into his earpiece. The first man lowers his gun and tromps back to the line. They hook up and zoom back up to the helicopter. Shortly, it flies off.

Thank god Trinity hires idiots. I stand up and look at the ground. There is a clear trail from the wreckage to our hiding place. If those two had had any wits about them, that would have gone very differently.

I turn to Jonah, who is still crouched beside me, and inspect his wound. He winces. "You're okay," I say, "It's just a cut." I sit down and dig the first aid kit out of my pack.

Jonah looks down at the child in his lap. He's covered in blood and grime. Through the tears in the clothes there's open gashes and several bullet wounds.

But as we watch, we see the chest slowly rise and fall. Miraculously, the child still lives.


	2. Chapter Two - Time to Talk

**Chapter Two**

 **Time to Talk**

Night has fallen and the wind is still blowing, now mingled with snow. We're camped further down the ravine, away from the wreckage. Thankfully, we found a sheltered crevice in the ice. It might be awhile before the tent gets packed up again.

I'm changing the bandages for the third time when the child wakes up. A few groggy blinks and then immediately he tries to sit up.

"Oh no you don't," I say sternly, pushing gently on his chest. "Lay back down." The child struggles for a moment against me, but then grimaces and slumps back down.

Jonah, who's been unsuccessfully trying to sleep, rolls over. "Yeesh, that looks painful. You need help?"

I resume rewrapping a gash in the kid's arm. "I don't suppose your phone gets any service in this ravine?"

He digs around in his bag for a few seconds. "Why? Who would I possibly be calling?" He pulls it out finally and turns it on. "Uh, well that's a no anyway."

"Shoot. My Arabic isn't too great, I was hoping to call Winston."

Jonah pauses in putting his phone away. "Your _butler_ knows Arabic?"

"Better than I do," I respond. The child has stopped grimacing and is now watching us both closely. "Marhaba," I say haltingly, trying to introduce myself. "Aismi Lara." I pat my chest for good measure. The kid tracks every movement. Then I point to Jonah. "Aismuh Jonah." Finally, I point to the child. "Asmuk…?"

"Link," the child chokes out. His voice is raspy, like it hasn't been used in a long time.

Jonah scrunches up his face. "Wait, like Link Neal? Isn't he American?"

I glance up at him. "Who?"

"He's a… Youtuber… but that's not the point." He sits up all way and locks eyes with me. "With a name like that, wouldn't it mean he speaks English?"

I consider that thought for a moment. "Hmm, not necessarily, but you're right that I shouldn't assume he speaks Arabic either, just because we're in Iran. But Link did respond well to the Arabic, so-"

Jonah cuts me off with a wave of his hand. "Speaking of, what exactly do you plan to do with this kid now that he isn't in danger of bleeding out at any moment?"

I pop my eyebrow at him. "Well obviously he needs real medical attention."

"Oh thank god, so we're giving up on this-," he flops his hands around dramatically, "-this whole thing."

I smile at him. " _You're_ giving up on this whole thing. You'll take Link back down, to that village Dehnash, and get some help. I'm going on."

Jonah shakes his head. "Mm, except I already found a flaw in your genius plan: we only have one tent, how are we supposed to split up?"

I scoot forward so I can pat his arm reassuringly. "I will survive just fine without one, don't worry about-" I stop mid-sentence with a sudden realization. I shouldn't have been able to move forward.

The child is gone.

I'm already shoving my feet into my boots when Jonah figures it out. "Wha-?"

"I'm going with the assumption Link doesn't speak English."

And I'm out of the tent, pulling up my hood on the way. I dig my torch out of a pocket and click it on. The snow is falling thicker now. If the wind picks up anymore, we'll have a proper blizzard on our hands. I scan the ground with the light and discover, thankfully, that the weather hasn't obscured the small footprints in the snow. I follow.

I don't get very far before I find the child slumped face down in a snow bank. I drop the torch and tenderly pick him up. He's conscious still, so instinctively I brace for another struggle. Instead, I get coarse laughter.

"Well I certainly am a mess, aren't I?" There's no hesitation whatsoever in the statement, but the words are colored by a strange accent I can't immediately place.

"So you _do_ speak English," I chide. "Can you swing your arm around my neck?"

Link does as asked, freeing one of my hands to pick up the torch again. Together we lumber back to the tent. Jonah is waiting for us, boots on but not laced up. We slip into the tent and he quickly zips it up behind us.

"Brr, it sure is getting cold out there. What is this kid thinking?"

I set Link down and immediately start checking the bandages again. There's one on his side that's soaked with blood already. "Give him a minute, I have to re-stitch this first." I look up at Link. "This is going to hurt."

Jonah looks from me to the kid a few times before pointing at Link. "You do understand us! I was right!"

"Don't mind him, he just gets excited when he figures anything out before I do." I grab the first aid kit again and get busy prepping.

Jonah, realizing I'm about to stab this kid with a needle several times while he's awake, drops down beside him and takes one of his hands. "Squeeze as hard as you need to."

Link surprises us both by handling it pretty well. Once I'm done, I clean it up and start wrapping. He lays back, closes his eyes, and lets me work. Jonah waits impatiently.

"So," he asks finally, "what's going on?"

I look up from my work to glare at him and shake my head. He shrugs back at me. I suppose this is why I'm able to convince him to come with me so easily on my adventures, his insatiable curiosity.

"It's okay," the kid interjects. He's propped himself up on his elbows, watching our silent argument. "I think I at least owe you an explanation."

Now I'm shaking my head at him. "You don't owe us anything. We are just doing what's right."

"Most people run from angry men with guns, not stick around to help the one those men are after."

Jonah sees his chance and takes it. "Why are they after you though?"

"Help me sit up first, this is hurting." Jonah gets Link sitting upright, though there was a fair bit of wincing involved. "It started a couple days ago, they came to my village-"

"Which village?" I interrupt.

"Ketak, it's at the other end of the crevice," he answers. "Or at least it was."

"I didn't know there were any villages this far into the mountains," I muse, half-heartedly looking for a map. Then I realize what he just said. "What do you mean, 'was'?"

Link shrugs. "There have to be people for it count as a village. The guys with the guns, they… they killed everyone."

There's a moment of silence. "Why?" Jonah finally asks, almost in a whisper.

"They said they would start shooting people until someone told them what they wanted to know. I stepped forward immediately, thinking the secret wasn't worth everyone's lives. But as they walked me away," his hands clench into fists, "they shot everyone anyway."

"So I lied. I made up a fake truth for them to puzzle out. I thought by the time they'd figured out I'd tricked them, I'd be long gone and the secret would stay safe."

"But they caught up to you, in the truck," Jonah finishes for him, nodding.

I shake my head. "Then why did they try to kill him? That does Trinity no good."

"Turns out I told them exactly what they needed." Link is staring down at his hands now. "They have these… machines. They can go through solid rock in less than a day. I didn't tell them what they needed to get in. But I did tell them where look, and that was enough." He looks up at us now, tears in his eyes. "Please, you have to help me stop them. If you don't, they'll all have died for nothing."


	3. Chapter Three - A Way In

**Chapter Three**

 **A Way In**

I can see it on Jonah's face, even through the scarf, he's still torn. I don't blame him, it's not like either choice really had any up sides. Option one: take Link down the mountain against his will, which he assures us he would spend every waking moment fighting and therefore pop all his stitches and probably bleed to death. Or option two: take Link up the mountain, a far more strenuous journey that will most likely pop his stitches and lead to the same outcome. Not to mention how the three of us will get into Trinity's camp unnoticed so we can destroy their 'machines'.

Honestly, I should have gone with option one, if only because it takes Jonah away from the immediate danger. But damn him, he made a good point: Trinity has to have supplies coming in regularly and we have no way to know what villages and towns they are passing through. Or just straight up raiding. There's no guarantee that heading down the mountain is any safer than heading up.

And then there's that little voice in the back of my head telling me that Link is leaving out important details about what Trinity is up to. I don't buy that he knew enough about the legend to intentionally mislead Trinity about how to get in but has no idea what's inside. I don't mention that though and I hope Jonah doesn't either. I'm not sure he's come to that conclusion yet anyway.

"So," he starts again as we trudge down the ravine, "I'm still confused about something." I hear a small sigh from where Link is riding Jonah piggy-back style. "The guys with guns-"

"Trinity," I interject.

"-right, Trinity, they showed up four days ago. You told them where the entrance is and how to get it open. So is it like a big door?"

"No no, I lied about how to open it." A point he's been very insistent about.

"Yea okay, but is it a door? Like what do you mean 'how to open it'?"

There's a pause, like Link is deciding how much to tell us. Finally he offers, "I'm not sure?"

Jonah stops dead in his tracks. "Woah, what do you mean you're not sure?!"

I stop too, but for a different reason. There's a low rumble coming from somewhere, but I can't tell where exactly.

"Well I didn't actually see it. They'd started in with that machine already."

"Then how do you know how to open it? I mean how could you be sure that your lie wouldn't have been helpful?"

"Because I know the legend. We all knew the legend."

"So what exactly does the legend say?"

The rumbling isn't getting louder or quieter though, so I walk forward again.

"If you don't already know, then I can't tell you."

"But they dug up the possibly-door-thing, so what difference does it make?"

"There's more to the legend than just about how to get inside."

The rumbling still isn't louder, but I can definitely feel it more than 10 feet ago.

"Did you tell Trinity?"

I bend down and dig in the snow until I get to a hard surface.

"Of course not!"

"So then they must have already known the legend."

I take my mitten off and carefully put my hand on the ice. It's absolutely freezing, but instantly I can feel the rumbling like I'm right on top of it.

"...I guess so."

I quickly glance around, but I don't see anything suspicious. I don't even see the snow moving, though I'm pretty sure if I can feel rumbles I should be able to see them too.

"So if Trinity already knew the legend, why did they need it from you?"

"It's sort of like a… what do call it… a riddle?"

I glance back the way we came. Jonah and Link have started moving again.

"Hmm, so they failed at puzzling it out."

Looking up, I finally see evidence of what I'm feeling.

"That is the intention."

"Weird, I thought they were good at puzzles."

At the top of the ravine, roughly right in between Jonah and I, a huge mound of snow, ice, and rock is slowly approaching the edge.

"If by 'puzzles' you mean 'destruction', then yes, I suppose so."

It's impossible to tell how much there is from this angle, but I wager it's enough to separate Jonah and I, if not crush us all.

"Ha, ain't that the truth!"

I dash back to Jonah, grabbing the front of his coat as I run past. "Hey, wha-" He's forced to spin my direction and I drag him with me. Wordlessly I point behind us with my free hand. Jonah and Link both follow my finger to see the first bit of debris start to trickle over the edge. It's mostly snow still, but it's enough to put the urgency in Jonah's step. The rumbling is finally louder. We make it another 20 feet when it really starts to come down.

Strangely, the cascade of rock and ice doesn't get any wider. I stop dragging Jonah forward, figuring we're out of danger.

"Shit, where did that come from?" Jonah asks, watching as the debris begins to spread out in the ravine before us.

I glance over at him. "The benefit to traveling quietly is that you can hear things like that before they're on top of you."

He glares at me while he helps Link off his back. " Excuse me for trying to discern exactly what kind of mess we're walking into."

I hold up my hands defensively. "Hey, I appreciate your curiosity. But it really is going to get you killed someday."

Then I catch the look on Link's face. He's confused, just like Jonah, but there's a hint of something else in it that I don't understand. As soon as he's down in the snow, he digs into it until he hits the ice. It's like watching a replay of myself from a minute ago: he whips off a mitt and places a bare hand against the smooth surface, feeling the vibrations. He's frowning more than I did though.

"So what now?" Jonah elbows me.

The debris is still coming down and doesn't show any signs of stopping soon. "I think we have to wait until whatever this is finishes."

He watches it for a moment. "It has to be Trinity, right? But what…" he trails off, gesturing uselessly.

"This is the doing of that machine I told you about," Link says. He's still crouched in his dugout, hand still against the ice, but his eyes are closed now. "It chews up the earth, devouring even the hardest stone. But it has no belly and the rock must go somewhere."

"Sounds like fun," Jonah says sarcastically..

"Sounds like an opportunity," I answer quickly.

Jonah narrows his eyes at me. "What kind of opportunity?"

"That machine is obviously the heart of the operation. Destroying it will buy us time to come up with a more long term solution. But I've been worried about how to get to it. If this debris is coming directly from it, down a trough of some kind, then there's a section in the perimeter of their camp that isn't tents, trucks, or guards."

"Okay now in plain English," Jonah sighs.

Link stands up and pulls his mitt back on. "It means there's an easy way in."


	4. Chapter Four - Deceit

**Chapter Four**

 **Deceit**

We backtrack about a kilometer until we find a place where the wall of the ravine doesn't overhang. I climb up first, secure a line, and then hoist Link up. Then up come the bags, and lastly Jonah. It takes a lot of help from me to get him up though, which concerns me. We're both breathing heavily by the time he's topside.

I should have known better. Up to this point, Jonah hasn't complained once about carrying Link. But of course after more than half a day of it would wear him down. He's probably been running on empty for the past hour.

I check the time and the sun's position. If we pushed, we could probably make it before nightfall and have just enough light left to make a game plan. I glance over at Jonah, who's still flopped in the snow panting. Link is digging in Jonah's bag. Does us no good to get there on time if Jonah is useless from exhaustion.

Link finds what he was looking for: protein bars. He hands two to Jonah and tears one open for himself. Realizing I'm watching him, he offers it to me.

I take it. "So Link," I start, as he grabs another bar. I really don't want to do this now, but our next move depends on the answer. So here we go. "We've reached a point where I need the whole truth." The boy doesn't react, tearing open his bar. Jonah sits up slowly, looking at me quizzically. "I know Trinity. I know what they're capable of and how determined they can be. But without knowing what's down there, I won't know if our plan will be enough."

We sit in silence for a minute. Link stares at his protein bar. I stare at Link. Jonah looks back and forth between us. Nothing.

I try again. "At the very least, I need to know how urgent this is." Finally he looks up at me, slightly puzzled. "Like, do we have time to sleep tonight, plan properly, and make our move the night after."

"Oh absolutely not," he immediately responds.

"But how do you _know_ that?" Jonah asks, honestly wondering.

Link opens his mouth to answer, no doubt to repeat what he said this morning about the legend, but I cut him off. "Not the point. Unless I receive some compelling information, we will be camping right here tonight."

Jonah looks at me like I've gone mad. This is a terrible place to camp, on the edge of a small cliff, out in the open. "Uhhh..." he starts.

Link interrupts him. "Delaying would be a mistake."

"Why?" I press. The boy shakes his head, mouth shut. "How is letting Trinity get what they're after better than just telling me what it is?"

"Because Trinity doesn't know what they're after," Jonah realizes out loud. He turns to Link. "Which means you are literally the only person alive who knows."

"Who knows for _certain_ ," I correct, "because Trinity wouldn't be here on just a vague rumor." I return my attention to Link. "So catch me up. Tell me what they know, or at least what they think they know."

Link frowns at me, but doesn't immediately answer. Good, he's considering giving in.

Jonah glances back and forth between us again. "So… should I start setting up the tent?"

"No, no that won't be necessary." Link says, closing his eyes and shaking his head. When he opens them again, they're fixed on me. "You win. But if you don't like what you hear, or don't believe it, we still move forward. Deal?"

I can't believe I'm negotiating with a child."Deal."

"And can we get going while I talk?"

Jonah sighs tiredly, but obliges and gets up.

* * *

"I'm going to be honest," Link says finally, "This is not how I imagined this going."

I'll be honest too. This is exactly what I was hoping I _wouldn't_ be hearing. "Sorry to shatter your world-view about everyone being a non-believer."

"Well to be fair," Jonah chimes in as we walk, "pretty much everyone _is_ a non-believer. We just happen to have had personal experiences with magic corpses in secret crypts."

"Unfortunately so does Trinity. Which is how I know they will jump to the same conclusion I did, regardless of what the legend may or may not actually state. And that they will stop at _nothing_ to get their prize. We're going to have to up our game."

"Up our game?" Link asks.

"Change our plan," Jonah explains. "Destroying their machine won't be enough to deter them."

I nod. "It will slow them down, but probably only by a day or so." I catch the worried look on Link's face and pat his arm. "Luckily, we also have personal experience in shutting Trinity down. Completely."

"Well Lara does, I mostly try not to panic."

Link sighs. "I can't believe I'm about to say this, but… it's turned out to be a good thing that you threatened me."

"So keep talking," I encourage. "The more I know, the better prepared we'll be."

* * *

The sun hangs low above the horizon when we arrive at the edge of Trinity's camp. It's bigger than I expected considering they've only been here for five days. It's centered around a large opening in the side of an icy cliff. The trail of debris leads straight inside. I lose count of hired guns somewhere around 80. I would be more concerned about that, but the noise from the machine is almost deafening. I could probably start taking out the patrols right now by just outright shooting them and no one would notice.

This debris, which I can see now is clearly moving down a dug out trough, has slowed significantly. That _does_ concern me. So does the fact that I can't actually see the machine, it's so far down into the tunnel it has dug. And even though the sun is about to set, the camp doesn't show any signs of settling down for the night. Also concerning, though not surprising. I've dealt with Trinity enough to know that they don't let their people rest. They'd sooner shoot them.

Having seen enough, I sneak my way back to where I left Jonah and Link to set up the tent. We found a nice little spot, nestled between the debris trough and an ice shelf. You'd have to know what you're looking for to spot it. And with the way the wind is picking up again, I'm not worried about leaving any easy-to-follow tracks.

When I get inside the tent, Jonah is snuggled in his sleeping bag. A quick glance tells me he's alone. "Where'd the kid go?" I ask immediately.

Jonah startles. "Christ, Lara, you scared me!" He props himself up on his elbows. "I didn't hear you get back."

Not surprising, considering how close we are to the machine and its noise. "Don't get comfy yet, we've got work to do still." I prod my sleeping bag. It's definitely empty. "Where's Link?" I ask again.

"Oh sorry," Jonah apologizes. "He needed the loo." He lays back down, but keeps his attention on me. "So, what's it looking like out there?"

"Wind's picking up, which will definitely work to our advantage," I say as I sit down and start taking off my hood, hat, and scarf. "And their digging machine is ridiculously loud." I drop my scarf next to me and stretch my neck. "That being said it's still gonna-"

I pause and look back at my scarf. It's laying over something white and soft.

"It's gonna what?" Jonah prompts.

I pick up my scarf again and there underneath it is the roll of toilet paper. The toilet paper that should have gone with Link. Shit. Immediately I put the scarf back on.

Jonah's propped up again now. "It's gonna what?"

I point to the toilet paper. It takes Jonah a second to figure it out while I shove my hat on and pull up my hood. "How long ago?" I demand. I already know which direction.

He starts untangling himself from the sleeping bag. "Shit shit shit! Uh, like maybe five minutes before you got back?" As I turn and undo the zipper he adds. "Sorry!"

I don't waste time zipping the tent up behind me. It's sheltered enough that the wind shouldn't blow much snow inside before Jonah follows me out anyway. I do have to pause to dig out my torch though. The sun's under the horizon now and it's quickly approaching pitch black outside.

I see my tracks, leading away along the debris trench. I think I would have seen him if he'd gone that way though, so I turn the other way and circle around the ice shelf. Thank god, I can still pick out the little footprints. It's hard to focus on them though as I start unwillingly replaying all our conversations over again in my head. What did I miss?

Jonah catches up to me quickly enough and immediately tries to apologize again. "Jonah, it's okay. I wouldn't have thought twice about it either."

I can't quite tell, but I think he smiles with relief. "Well at any rate," he says, "I thought I'd make up for it by being prepared." He holds up a length of rope and a crowbar. The crowbar doesn't immediately make sense to me, but it doesn't matter right now.

I hand him the torch and draw my pistols.


	5. Chapter Five - Inside the Crypt

**Chapter Five**

 **Inside the Crypt**

The boy's tracks become easier and easier to follow as we go. Here and there I spot a drop of blood in the snow. I half expect to find him crumpled up in a heap. I also expect to enter Trinity's camp at some point, but neither ever happens. The tracks skirt the edge carefully, pausing in all the right places to avoid the patrols. 

Eventually we reach the end of the trail. It leads straight into the side of the icy cliff, about 18 meters from the nearest Trinity tent. The noise from the machine isn't deafening here, but it's certainly loud enough that I'd have to shout to be heard. So instead I tap Jonah to get his attention, point at the torch, and gesture up and down the icy wall. Not understanding that I want him to use it to look for signs of where Link went next, he tries to hand the torch to me. I push it away, hold up a pistol, and point with two fingers towards Trinity's camp. I'm going to keep watch, just in case the light attracts some unwanted attention. Jonah gives me the thumbs up and clicks on the torch.

Ten minutes go by before a patrol wanders far enough our way to make me nervous. Just when I think they might turn and leave, the two men pause and then unmistakably head our direction. Slowly I raise my pistols and take aim. From here, I can't tell if they're doing the same. 

I wait until they are about a third of the way to us before I fire. Simultaneously they stumble backwards and drop into the snow. Uncomfortably aware that the sound of the gunshots echoed off the icy cliff, I scan the camp for any more movement. Just as several people exit a tent, Jonah taps me urgently on the shoulder.

I turn to see a perfectly square chunk of ice, probably a meter across, sticking slightly out from the wall. Well not perfect, there's chinks in one side where Jonah used the crowbar to pry it out. I don't have much time to try to understand exactly what I'm seeing though as I hear gunfire behind me. I pull Jonah to the ground as bullets pepper the icy wall. Of course they have automatic weapons.

I pop up into a crouch a get off only two shots at the five men before they let loose another spray of bullets and I'm forced to drop down again. Jonah unexpectedly pulls at my coat, but I ignore him and try to peak up high enough to get a better line of sight on the approaching men without presenting a target.

Then suddenly I'm being pulled rapidly backwards through the snow. Instinctively I scramble forward, but whatever's dragging me has a firm hold on my coat. Then the snow beneath me is gone, turning to slick ice, and I'm falling into complete blackness. 

I land with a thud on something squishy. I'm worried for a second I've hit my head since the sound of the machine has dulled.

"Ow! Get off!" Jonah shoves at me.

I don't move though. Jonah's voice was clear as a bell. He stops wiggling underneath me, probably aware of just how much noise he's making. 

"What just happened?" I whisper. 

"Get _off,_ " he whispers back. 

Carefully I roll to one side until there's nothing but cold hard ground beneath me and try to sit up. The complete blackness is disorienting though and I can't tell if I'm facing Jonah or not.

I hear him shifting around. Then a click. "Shit," he says softly. "I think the torch is broken."

"Perfect," I respond and feel around for my pistols. I find one easily enough but the other proves more difficult to locate. 

"I can't see nothing," a voice echoes from above. I whip my pistol upwards towards the source and see brief flashes of light in the distance, but nothing to shoot at. "No point, not for a runaway. He'll probably freeze to death anyway." The light disappears. "I don't care where it goes." 

Jonah and I both sit in complete silence for a moment. The machine rumbles on in the distance. Presently I smell something burning, but no more voices come from above.

"Well, that could have gone worse," Jonah whispers finally. 

"But it also could have gone better," I retort. "Now kindly explain to me what happened." I feel around again for my other pistol, trying to stay calm. 

"Well I hooked us together-" I feel a tug at the back of my coat, "-and was gonna lower carefully down but then-" 

"Down where?" I interrupt.

"Uh, down the hole that was behind the door."

"The door?" 

"Yes the door. In the wall of ice. That I showed to you." He waits for me to respond, but when I don't he continues. "Okay fair, you were a little busy. Look, basically there was a secret door in the ice that I pried out and then we fell down a slippery tunnel. But I am 102% positive this is the way Link went."

I holster my one pistol. "That little liar." 

Jonah snorts. "Right? How long do you think Link has been coming in and out of here?"

"Let's find out." I definitely smell something burning, but it's not coming from above. "Do you smell that?"

"Oh yea, what is that?"

"Come on." I try to stand up, but barely get to one knee before banging my head on something. 

"Wha- Ow!" Jonah exclaims, louder than he should. "What's the deal?!" 

I'm already feeling around. "Pretty sure that's the ceiling."

"Right," Jonah grumbles. "Child-sized door, child-sized tunnel." 

So we proceed forward on our hands and knees. Jonah bumps into me a lot and I bump into the walls a lot. It's slow going. But my nose steers me correctly and eventually I see flickering light ahead as well as hear the machine more clearly.

"Careful," I say to Jonah as we exit the tunnel.

Before us is the crypt: a long rectangular room with a high enough ceiling that it disappears into the shadows. One end is illuminated by sconces burning on the wall, the other end still in darkness. The center of the room contains mostly ornate pillars and benches, which I find curious for a crypt. I count three sarcophagi arranged in a triangle in front of what can only be described as the main entrance. The intricately decorated door is roughly 10 meters high and appears to be made from wood. I don't see any tricky puzzle mechanisms or glyphs to decipher, nothing that supports even an ounce of Link's story.

As if on cue, Link comes into view by an open sarcophagus. He's removed most of his clothes, appearing to be wearing just one thin layer. But honestly it's hard to tell since what isn't crusted with dry blood is soaked with fresh blood. As Jonah and I watch, he climbs into the sarcophagus, sits up straight, and exhales slowly. Then he holds up a crude looking dagger, pointed towards his chest.

Without a thought, I stand and fire my pistol. The bullet strikes the dragger, knocking it from Link's hands. It clatters across the floor. Link's head snaps in our direction and, even though I'm pretty sure I'm standing in almost total darkness, he locks eyes with me. 

His gaze doesn't waiver as he slowly puts his hands on either side of the sarcophagus, preparing to get out. "Oh no you don't," I say as I step forward into the torch light, my pistol still up and trained on him.

He doesn't continue, but he doesn't remove his hands from the rim either. "You must certainly be a thorn in Trinity's side."

"More like a barbed hook," Jonah calls from behind me. He must have stayed in the dark.

"Funny thing about that," I say, slowly approaching. "I thought you were also looking to cause trouble for them."

"I'm doing something a little more drastic than just 'causing trouble'."

Once I'm two meters from him, I start circling around, towards where the dagger landed. "You mean you were."

He frowns at that. "Look, I understand you have no reason to trust me, but-"

"Yea, you're right," I cut him off as I come between him and the dagger. "So whatever excuse or lie or wild story you have for me is going to have to wait. Out." He cocks his head quizzically at me. "Out!" I order.

"What are you going to do, shoot me?" 

"If I have to." 

He crosses his arms. "Okay, then shoot me." Cute, he thinks he's calling my bluff. "You know just as well as I do that I've already been shot plenty, one more bullethole won't make much of a difference."

No, I take that back. He's goading me. He wants me to shoot him. I reach down with my free hand and scoop up the dagger. "But what about this? Don't you have to die by this blade?"

"Oh now you want an explanation," he says, throwing his hands in the air. "Make up your mind!"

Just as I open my mouth my to respond, the door behind me suddenly splits and the noise of the digging machine roars through the crack. It's literally on the other side of the door. I tuck and roll away from it, expecting the wood to explode inward. But it doesn't. The noise grinds higher in pitch and the rumbling slows to an irregular pulse, like the digging machine is struggling to tear through the wooden door.

A hand pulls me up. It's Link. I have no idea how he got to me so fast. His calm demeanor is gone, his eyes are wild and fierce.

"Just kidding, we're out of time!" he shouts over the noise. "You need to hide, now!"

Then he grabs my pistol hand, puts the gun to his forehead, and, his finger over mine, pulls the trigger.

I struggle to support his body as it goes limp. "Jonah!" I yell, hoping he can hear me.

But he's already there, trying to pull me to my feet. "Come on!" He yells. 

"No, grab him!" I point to the boy. Jonah hesitates, but does as he's told. He hefts the body over his shoulder as I scramble to my feet. We both run towards the small tunnel we came out of just as the door finally gives way.

The spray of boards and splinters knocks us both down. As I clamber up again, the deafening noise suddenly stops. I turn around just as a dozen or so men step into the crypt.

"Go!" I shout to Jonah and just start letting bullets fly. To my advantage, they weren't expecting this. To my disadvantage, they scatter and I'm suddenly very aware of how much I miss my second pistol. One of them brings up an AK-47 and I dive forward into the side of the closest sarcophagus. Bullets fly overhead and thud into stone. In the momentary silence of him reloading, I hear more guns cocking. Whoo boy, am I outnumbered.

"What are you morons shooting at?"

I bristle at the familiar voice. I guess that answers a question I had two days ago. "Who else, but me?" I call out. I just need to buy Jonah time to… to what? How is going to climb back up that icy slope?

"Ah Lara, darling, I wasn't expecting you," Anna responds. Her voice sounds thin and weak.

"Neither was I," I answer, "but you know me, can't help myself." I scoot slowly towards the corner of the sarcophagus, hoping to peer around it.

The moment that I notice it, it's too late. I see the rope that attaches Jonah and I as it suddenly goes taut. I'd completely forgotten about it. I'm jerked sideways and out from behind my hiding place. I land awkwardly in plain sight of everyone else in the room.

No one shoots me, thank goodness. For good measure, I flick my wrist and let my gun skitter across the stone floor away from me.

After all, the game is up.


	6. Chapter Six - Memories

**Chapter Six**

 **Memories**

"There has to be another way," she says again.

I take her hands in mine and look her straight in the eye. "I'd welcome it, but the fact of the matter is… there isn't. There just isn't."

She holds my gaze, fear and uncertainty in her eyes. I'm sure they're in mine too. If we do this, there's no turning back.

"You ready?"

"No, but who could ever be for something like this?"

I drop one of her hands and together we walk into the Temple of Time. It's the only building still intact. Ganon's army has destroyed pretty much everything else, but the ancient magic of this place has protected it.

I feel that magic wash over me as I cross the threshold and am suddenly aware that I've done this before. No, that I did it already. It's not really something that can be done twice. As I weave the spell with Princess Zelda, I begin to feel disconnected, like I'm not in control of my own body anymore. Slowly I realize I'm not even _in_ my body but rather just watching the scene unfold from somewhere else. Somewhere void of color and life.

The spell reaches its climax, the greys before me all meld together until stone is distinguishable from neither wood nor flesh.

* * *

When I open my eyes, which is weird because I don't remember closing them, the greys have separated somewhat into squares. One of them is hanging awkwardly though. Presently I'm aware of some reds and oranges in my periphery. I turn my head and struggle to make sense of what I'm seeing.

There's fire. For some reason I'm not concerned by it though. In the fire I can make out several charred bodies. There also seems to be a lot of other charred things, but I can't identify what they used to be.

Slowly I sit up and check myself. I feel fine, no obvious wounds or burns. My clothes are bizarre though. Who wears all white?

I hop down from the table I was laying on. The room is grey and bare, save for the scorch marks on the walls and floor. There's an opening on one side of the room. Based on the broken glass littering the ground, I'm guessing it used to be a window. It's also where most of the weird stuff is.

The fire seems to be dying out on its own, so I step carefully around the debris until I'm outside the grey room. It's raining out here, though there's still a ceiling. There's also a piercing noise I can't place and flicks of light coming from the ceiling that I don't understand.

Where am I? And what is going on?

"Oh- oh shit! Move it! Run!" someone to my right yells. I catch a glimpse of two people as they run through a door and slam it shut. Then they peer through the small pane of glass in the center. The terror and fear I see on their faces stirs something in me. They're afraid of me. What did I do?

I look back into the grey room and now clearly see the perfect ring around the table. Ah, Din's fire. Which means I killed all those people.

I turn back to the door, but the faces are gone. I bet they'll have the answers I seek. I walk forward past a bunch of weird stuff that isn't all burned up, but movement catches my eye and I stop. There's a bunch of mirrors, though many are broken. The ones that are working… still seem broken. Some show me, but not as a reflection. Others show the grey room. Another one shows the grey room without any fire. That's the one with the movement. There's someone pacing back and forth.

I tap the mirror, but the person doesn't respond.

Well I know how to get to the others, so I go to the door. It opens easily into a long hallway. On either side are what look like prison cells, barred walls and doors. At the other end is a normal looking door, like the one I just came through, though there's a strange red light blinking next to it. Since there's nowhere else to go, I swiftly walk down the hallway towards it.

Just when I'm about to reach it, I'm aware that someone is staring at me. To my left, in a cell, a man has pressed himself up against the far wall. Well now why is he afraid of me, I didn't do anything to him. But maybe he can answer my questions.

I approach slowly, trying not to scare him further. It doesn't seem to work. "Uh hey there. What's going on?"

He stares back at me for a moment before saying, "You're dead."

His answer catches me completely off guard. "I'm sorry, what?"

"You're dead," he repeats. "I watched you die."

I nod slowly. Something about his voice is familiar, but he also seems a little unstable. "Right. Well I'll just-"

The door to my right bursts open. It's those two men from earlier. One of them has a long thin rod and the other a short red tube with some sort of cord coming out of the top, which he's pointing at me. The terror is still plain in their faces.

I open my mouth to try to reassure them I have no intention of harming them when the red tube makes a loud fizzing sound and a blast of white cold hits me. I throw up my arms to protect my face, but it's too late. I've inhaled some of it and immediately start coughing.

The other man emerges from the cloud, swinging his rod at me. So that's how it's going to be.

I dip forward slightly and catch his right arm with my left before he completes his swing. Then I continue my motion down and out, effectively using my whole body to trip him. But I've still got an iron grip on his arm. He cries out as he falls over me, his arm twisting. The second he lets go of the rod, I release his arm and snatch it up.

When I stand again, the white cloud has settled somewhat. The other man fumbles with his red tube. I spring forward and whap my new weapon on his hands. With a yelp, he drops the tube backs away. It clunks heavily on the ground.

"I'd rather talk this out, if it's all the same to you," I say, though I'm still posed for a fight.

The yell behind me is all the warning I need I to step sideways and swing hard. I catch the first man across his chest as he barrels past me. There's an audible crack, probably broken rib or two, and he crumples to the floor with a groan.

The second man waves something small and square at the door. It pops open with a click. He slips through the doorway and pulls the door shut before I can get to him. I yank on the handle, but the door doesn't budge.

I turn back to the man groaning on the floor. He gurgles and coughs, blood dripping from his mouth. Hmm, I may have hit him a little too hard. Before I can help him though, the blood turns to white foam and his whole body convulses. Then he's still.

I frown down at the dead body. I'm starting to get the feeling that the whole day is going to be like this. I glance at the rod. It's no Master Sword, but I suppose it will do.

I start down the hallway, back the way I came. Maybe I'll have better luck-

"Wait, that's it?" the guy in the cell calls after me.

I call over my shoulder, "Uh yea, unless you want to talk about something other than my state of limbo."

"You're not even gonna let me out? After I carried you all that way?"

That makes me double back. I mean, normally I'd ignore that kind of bait, but his voice _does_ sound familiar. I peer through the bars at him, trying to place his face.

"What are you doing," he says nervously.

"Trying to remember you," I answer.

He inches closer. "W-wait, you don't remember me?"

I shake my head. "I wouldn't take it personally, I meet a lot of people."

He squints at me. "We literally spent the last two days together." Then he takes a few steps forward. "You must not remember anything then."

"How about you help me out," I respond, leaning on the bars. "What's your name?"

The second the word 'Jonah' leaves his lips, my memories come rushing back to me. The vacant Temple. Alone. The cold and snow slowly creeping in. The village springing up. Trinity. The village all dead. Lara and Jonah. The Temple in danger. My terrible plan. Lara seeing through my terrible plan. Lara threatening to shoot me. Me actually shooting me.

Ah yes. I did die. I hate how that screws with my head. And every time it takes longer and longer to recover.

"I really need to stop dying," I mumble.


End file.
